4,132 officers secure student protest at Monas, Patung Kuda
The crowd was held by police barricades before rallying on Jalan Medan Merdeka Selatan with three main demands.
A joint deployment of 4,132 personnel from Polda Metro Jaya, Polres Metro Jakarta Pusat and local police stations was put on standby to secure a student protest in the Monas area and Central Jakarta on Friday (17/7). According to Polres Metro Jakarta Pusat public relations head Iptu Erlyn Sumantri, the demonstration was scheduled to begin at 13.00 WIB and involved Aliansi Majelis Perjuangan Rakyat, a coalition of BEM UNJ, BEM Universitas Trilogi, BEM Institut STIAMI and BEM Universitas Paramadina. On the ground, the crowd arrived at about 15.00 WIB. They initially planned to move to Patung Kuda, but were stopped by police barricades and instead rallied on Jalan Medan Merdeka Selatan. The three demands they brought were to restore civilian sovereignty, dismantle the state system entirely and save Indonesian education. Police also prepared situational traffic diversions.